


Rituals and Curses

by Oliver__Niko



Series: Prince Sorey/Witchleo AU [1]
Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: (i can't stop drawing him and then i wrote him too i need help), (tagged because witchleo is what inspired this), Alternate Universe, Fluff, Halloween, Humor, Light-Hearted, M/M, Prince Sorey, Witch Mikleo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-26
Updated: 2018-10-26
Packaged: 2019-08-07 22:25:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16417136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oliver__Niko/pseuds/Oliver__Niko
Summary: Now he has come of age, Mikleo is ready to perform the ritual that all witches do eventually; that which conjures a familiar. Only the results aren't quite what he expected.





	Rituals and Curses

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for picking up this fic!
> 
> This is a simple oneshot I ended up thinking of when realising how cute Prince Sorey and Witchleo would be. Like many people, I was immediately obsessed with him, so of course I had to write him too.
> 
> This has a much more light-hearted theme than last year's did. I hope you enjoy it!

‘ _Light the first candle, then say the first line …’_

The young witch suppresses the urge to clear his throat. This is the first time he has cast this particular spell, and considering he is still a novice, he hasn’t made all that many rituals yet either. The ritual he is preparing for now is one of the earliest witches partake in, once they reach the age of eighteen.

“ _Do not try it before then, Mikleo,”_ his mother had told him. He knew why; usually, people only start to develop magic when they go through puberty, and it is usually too risky to try before this age.

Muse died many years ago, yet Mikleo still remembers all of her advice.

His head lowers a little, his tall hat falling over his forehead as his lips move, quietly speaking in the Ancient Tongue.

“E, Luzrov Rulay, lamm ofib shu finuw it shu kuwafhur.”

He inhales deeply. Though he has been learning this language since he was young, any mistake could have dire consequences. Speed does not matter when partaking in this ritual; he has enough time to keep himself calm, speaking slowly yet clearly.

“Nesh wukfuls, e akg tiw shuew akkeksablu aby fwisulseib.”

His pale hands, lighted only by the single candle’s flame, reach for its holder. He blows out the flame. It leaves him shrouded in darkness, with only the small hint of moonlight peeking through the window cast over him. Calmly, he places down the candle, lighting another match. This lights a second candle, which he places next to the first.

“Fmuaku, huuy rv lamm.”

This candle is then lifted, proceeding to relight the other. He places it back down. The first candle is then lifted once again, tipped slightly to allow the melted wax to drip from its holder. It takes a fair bit of time to create a circle around the ritual’s marking on the ground, yet he does so carefully, keeping his hand steady all the while. Murmuring further words under his breath, he places the candle back down next to the other.

His eyes then close. He waits patiently, hands settled on his knees.

He dares to open one when through the darkness of his closed eyes, he can see a flash of light. His other eye opens as well as he gasps. A great flash of light has appeared in front of him. It is blinding, yet he finds he is too transfixed to look away. The force is so strong that it blows out the candles’ flames.

It disappears almost as suddenly as it formed. The sudden shift from light to dark render Mikleo’s eyes useless. Curious to see if the ritual has worked, he rushes to his feet, fumbling his way through the dark to light the torches in the room.

What he sees when he turns around is not what he had been expecting.

A peculiar tiny figure stands within the ritual’s circle. It seems to be a doll, although it’s swivelling its head around wildly, almost as though it’s as confused as Mikleo is. Upon closer inspection, Mikleo can see it appears male, with short brown hair, a hat on top and unusual clothing.

This is a ritual to conjure a familiar. And all this time Mikleo has been picturing a familiar, it has taken the form of a black cat, or some other suitable animal. Not … whatever this is.

“I … what?” he can only say, stunned. The little doll finally faces Mikleo at the sound of his voice. Its – or his? – mouth opens, but Mikleo can’t hear anything. He brings himself closer, lowering down onto one knee. “Um, who are you? _What_ are you?”

He still can’t hear the creature’s voice. It seems to realise this eventually, pulling an irritated face before marching over to Mikleo’s desk. Mikleo watches in astonishment as it somehow climbs up onto Mikleo’s chair, pulls himself onto the desk and then, even with a few stumbles, picks up a pen. It begins scribbling furiously on some paper, almost falling over a few times.

Mikleo walks over, curious as to what it could be writing and still feeling utterly bewildered by the situation. ‘ _You didn’t tell me_ this _could happen, mother,’_ he thinks to himself. No, of course his mother had a _normal_ familiar. And of course it had to go in this strange direction instead for Mikleo.

The creature backs up after writing a rather messy note on the paper. Mikleo looks down to read it.

 

‘ _I’m Sorey. There’s a lot to explain. Would you be able to make communication easier for us?’_

 

The wording is a little surprising. Perhaps because it’s so tiny, admittedly adorable, Mikleo had expected a childish tone. And Sorey? This is the thing’s name? Mikleo has never even known that familiars can _have_ names after being summoned. That is usually for the witch to decide.

“Sorey, huh?” says Mikleo. “Uh … What do you expect me to do to make this easier for us?”

Mikleo feels a little offended when Sorey rolls his eyes. He picks up the pen again, his determination seeming to assist with managing to do so with less stumbling. Mikleo watches curiously as Sorey writes another message.

 

‘ _You’re a witch, aren’t you? Cast a spell, silly.’_

 

“Don’t go teasing me!” Mikleo huffs, appalled that a _doll_ has the nerve to insult him. Still, through the mere two sentences, Mikleo can tell that there is definitely more to Sorey than is on the surface. The very small, very confusing surface. “But you’re right. I, uh … Ah! Would a telepathy spell work?”

Sorey nods, which prompts Mikleo to go shuffling through his books, murmuring titles under his breath. He finds the one he is searching for moments later. He flicks through its pages, eyes scanning words as his finger traces the page.

“There we go,” says Mikleo. He places the book down onto the desk. “Place a hand onto it.”

Sorey follows the order, placing one tiny hand on the book’s page, Mikleo’s finger remaining there also. He begins to speak quietly in the Ancient Tongue as his eyes close.

Having never cast this spell before, he is a little nervous over whether or not it will work. However, he tests it immediately after finishing regardless, thinking _“Hello?”_

“ _There we go! Whoa, this is really cool!”_

“Ah!” Mikleo cries aloud, startled by the voice in his head. He had half expected to hear a strange, squeaky voice. But the voice is a completely normal male voice. Enthusiastic and cheerful, even.

“ _Sorry, sorry! Never done this before, huh?”_

“ _I haven’t,”_ Mikleo thinks back. _“But I’m mostly just surprised. I didn’t expect you to sound like that.”_

“ _That’s because this isn’t really what I look like. But it’s hard to speak in this form, so that’s why I needed this.”_

“ _Then what_ do _you actually look like?”_ Mikleo asks.

Sorey places his hands on his hips. _“Far taller, much more handsome … Nah, I’m just messing around. I’m a normal person, really. A prince, actually!”_

“A prince?” Mikleo ends up speaking aloud from shock, before reverting back to the telepathy. _“You can’t say you’re a normal person and then say you’re a_ prince.”

“ _Heh. I guess not.”_ One had reaches behind Sorey’s head; the motion to scratch the back of it, before he realises that he doesn’t actually have fingers. _“Yeah, I come from a family of mage warriors. We use magic in our physical attacks, unlike you who relies purely on magic. You’re strange, though … Witches are usually female.”_

“ _I get that a lot,”_ Mikleo admits.

“ _I like that, though! Makes you unique!”_

“ _I guess so.”_ Feeling a little awkward over being complimented by a doll with a completely unmatching voice, Mikleo quickly moves on. _“So if you’re a prince, why exactly are you … like this?”_

“ _Ah. I’ve been put under a curse.”_

“ _A curse?”_

“ _Yep. By a witch named Symonne. Evil one, obviously! I know not all witches are bad.”_ Sorey sits down, kicking his legs out in front of him as his hands rest behind him. _“_ _She did it for her master. You see, they’ve had some issues with my family. To try and get them to surrender, they decided to use me. Their aim was to turn me into Symonne’s_ _familiar.”_

“ _So you_ are _a familiar,”_ Mikleo says, thinking back to his previous confusion about why Sorey would be conjured.

“ _Not officially, but pretty much. But they underestimated my strength, and Symonne only managed to change my physical body – she wasn’t able to take away anything else. So I managed to escape, used the power I can still harness to intersect with a witch’s familiar ritual, see if I could get help that way. So uh, sorry for that.”_

“ _Well, it’s not what I expected, but I guess I don’t mind.”_ In fact, though one might deem it as unlucky for Mikleo to have been the one to have this sprung on them, he has to admit that it certainly is an experience that most witches won’t get. Not to mention that he is very much intrigued by Sorey’s actual self.

“ _So you … don’t mind helping me out, then?”_

“ _Not really. But where is this Symonne? You can’t stop a curse without going to the source, right? Make them break it?”_

“ _Ah, that’s true, but you can stop it temporarily without actually facing her. You’re not strong enough to do that.”_ Sorey begins to wave his little arms frantically, realising what he said might have seemed insulting. _“Not that I’m saying you’re weak! But Symonne is really experienced,_ _and if you’re only just casting your familiar ritual, it’s likely you wouldn’t be ready on your own. We’d have to_ _fight_ _together.”_

Despite his small stature, Mikleo can somewhat see Sorey’s expression change. He seems to be guilty.

“ _I know it’s a lot to ask. I mean, you could even have your life at risk, so you don’t have to help me. I don’t even know your name.”_

“ _It’s Mikleo,”_ Mikleo finds himself responding with first. _“And … well, I guess I’d feel bad if I didn’t help. Plus, you’ve spiked my curiosity. I’ll help you.”_

The guilt seems to fade from Sorey. He jumps up to his feet, grinning as he pumps one arm into the air. _“Thank you, Mikleo! There’s some stuff to do to temporarily hold back the curse, but it’_ _ll_ _be fun!”_

“ _Fun? You sure about that?”_ Mikleo questions with amusement.

“ _Yeah, for sure! It’d be like an adventure. Besides, I think I got lucky with finding you.”_

Mikleo blinks. _“Lucky? Why?”_

“ _Because I can tell that you’re a really kind person. Plus, honestly, you’re pretty cute too, so …”_

Clearing his throat, Mikleo looks away with folded arms. He curses the hint of colour which has risen to his face – when you’re not looking at Sorey’s cursed form, simply listen to his voice, it’s easy to tell that he’s a regular human.

“This is going to get annoying real fast,” Mikleo says aloud with a sigh.

“ _Don’t say that! Look, let’s get some sleep for now. It’s pretty late.”_

Mikleo’s eyes fall on the clock. Sorey is right; the hour of night is better for rituals, meaning that after all this, it is the early hours of the morning. Mikleo has to stop himself from yawning.

“Yeah. We’ll head out tomorrow, then,” Mikleo responds. He hesitates, before turning back to the desk and holding his hand out for Sorey. “H-Here. It’d be easier.”

Sorey grins, crawling onto Mikleo’s hand. Mikleo brings him to his shoulder, allowing him to perch there. Seeing him up close makes Mikleo wonder what he looks like as his normal self.

“ _Tomorrow, then,”_ says Sorey. _“Let’s do it!”_

 

* * *

 

Before seeking out help, Sorey has managed to research curses all on his own. It makes Mikleo feel a little embarrassed that he is rather clueless himself. But Sorey soon explains that as royal families are often targeted by evil witches in general, they are taught early on how to fend off curses; this particular one, too complicated for Mikleo to have heard of, simply required a little more research, before Sorey intersected Mikleo’s familiar ritual.

The preparation in order to temporarily relieve the curse is rather simple. Sorey and Mikleo simply have to gather a few ingredients for a potion, which should be easy enough to find with Mikleo’s experience of gathering herbs. The main issue is the spell itself. The thought of casting something particularly complex is a little worrying, but as it is only a temporary solution, it should be easier than other spells.

The two are now venturing through Aroundight Forest, which is situated near Mikleo’s home of Elysia. He has ventured out here many times. Although because of the danger of daemons, monsters who are created from excessive dark magic, he usually does so with someone else. But since a few days ago, he has been at the age where he’s legal, and so can’t be stopped from coming out here alone.

It’s not as though he’s embarrassed over needing teamwork. He just has no idea how to explain this situation with Sorey.

“ _We’re looking for_ _red herbs, mostly,”_ Mikleo says telepathically, holding up a list. Sorey peers at it from Mikleo’s shoulder, watching Mikleo’s finger tap by his neat handwriting. _“Red rosemary, saffron and chamomile … I’ll need a couple of drops of elixir too, but that’s all right. I have some at home.”_

Sorey asks, _“You sure you’re okay using that? It doesn’t come cheap with how rare it is.”_

“ _Yeah, it is. My mother left it to me.”_

Seeming to notice a slight change in the voice Mikleo uses in his mind, Sorey decides to avoid pushing this any further. Instead, he’s letting out an _“Ah!”_ sound, pointing one nub of a finger to their left.

“ _I see some over there! Rosemary, I think?”_

“ _I think you’re right,”_ Mikleo answers, following Sorey’s gaze. He treks over, holding onto his large hat as he ducks underneath some branches. He crouches down on the floor, fingers reaching for the plant with a smile. _“Ye_ _s_ _, this is it! Good one.”_

“ _Just need a few more!”_ Sorey’s voice says cheerily in his mind, holding on tighter as Mikleo gets back to his feet. He cannot help but smile. This has turned out more fun than expected.

Not to mention that the forest is rather quiet, only a few small daemons interfering. As a cautious person, this does concern Mikleo, but the job at hand keeps him pushing forward, as does Sorey’s voice. The two continue to search the area intensely.

Eventually, they find everything they are looking for, Mikleo keeping it safe in a bag which he attaches to his belt. Sorey grins at him and brings his little fist forward, which causes Mikleo to be taken aback for a moment, before he grins back and presses his own fist against Sorey’s.

“ _All right, just got to head back now, and then … What’s that?”_

Mikleo turns as he says this, Sorey focusing his eyes also. Both freeze as they see two daemons in front of them, far bigger than the others they’ve faced. They appear to be some kind of possessed trees. Mikleo has only heard stories; he hasn’t faced one himself, yet.

Until now, that is, and the sight of them edging closer is causing him to feel more nauseous with fear by the second.

“ _Am I going to have to ask if you’re a witch a second time?!”_ Sorey’s voice says frantically in his head.

“I’m hurrying!” Mikleo says, conjuring his Book of Shadows from a cloud of smoke, where all his most used spells are stored. Although one of the daemons have already struck before he can cast anything. He can at least dodge out of the way; Sorey himself has jumped up onto the branch of one of the ordinary trees.

“Come on, come on,” Mikleo murmurs, the pages flipping on their own; in the meantime, his other hand blasts a powerful jet of water at the daemons to hold them back. Sorey’s voice speaks excitedly in his mind.

“ _You specialise in water! So_ that’s _why your hair has blue ends, they must have turned that way because –”_

“Not now, Sorey!”

The pages continue to flip until he finally reaches what he was looking for. He holds his hand out to the side, shouting, _“_ Blades of ice … _Ice Reaver!”_

Sorey watches in astonishment as shards of ice appear from the ground, the daemons caught in its clutches. Now hurt, they seem angered; one of the roots once again lashes out, this time too quick for Mikleo to dodge.

“ _Mikleo!”_ Sorey’s voice shouts out in Mikleo’s mind, watching on from horror and feeling powerless from his spot in the tree. _“Are you okay?!”_

Mikleo winces and holds his stomach as he gets to his knees, thankful he has at least not dropped his book. “I’m fine,” he says, backing away to recollect himself, eyes not moving from the monsters as he reaches for his belt. Sorey watches curiously as he takes hold of one of the tiny potions attached to it.

“ _What’s that for?”_ Sorey asks. He proceeds to jump down, making his way through the bushes out of sight in order to keep up with Mikleo, who is jogging backwards as he gulps down the bright liquid.

“Increases focus, _”_ Mikleo responds. He breathes out, one hand reached in front of him this time as he yells, _“_ Burning red, hailing blue, freeze in tandem! _Violet Storm!”_

A beautiful, yet clearly powerful attack envelopes one of the daemons, scattering petals which form into mist; a few weaker attacks follow, Mikleo casting them at a speed which must only be possible thanks to his potion.

“ _Behind you!”_ exclaims Sorey, noticing one of the daemon’s roots attempting to attack Mikleo from behind. The witch jumps out of the way of the attack.

“Come forth, beast of water! _Aqua_ _S_ _erpent!_ _”_ he yells, sending the attack to the last remaining daemon; like the other, it too disappears in a flash of blue flame. Mikleo breathes heavily once it is gone, wiping his forehead with his hand. His other keeps his Book of Shadows out as a precaution.

“I think that’s all of them,” he says.

“ _You were amazing!”_ Sorey’s voice exclaims in his mind. The tiny doll jogs over to Sorey, Mikleo kneeling down in order to get him back on his shoulder.

“ _It was nothing. But hey, you’re a familiar, aren’t you? Familiars are supposed to_ help. _That was my first time fighting alone.”_

“ _Ah, well, I’m not actually used to what I should be able to do as a familiar. In fact, I might not be able to do anything at the moment as I’m not with Symonne.”_

“ _Typical,”_ says Mikleo, letting out a sigh aloud. _“_ _Better not be that useless when it comes to fighting her.”_

Sorey huffs, folding his arms. _“I’ll have you know that I’m a very skilled fighter, thank you very much. As soon as I get my body back, I’ll prove it to you!”_

“ _Right, of course you …”_

Mikleo’s words trail off as he hears some sort of ruffling from the trees’ leaves. No, maybe ‘ruffling’ isn’t quite what it is. The sound is a little too loud for that. Gulping, Sorey’s voice silent in his mind as well, Mikleo turns to face where the sound is coming from.

“Well, that’s fantastic,” he mutters as he sees some sort of shape within the trees, his boots taking a few steps back. He does so quietly, as though trying not to alert whatever lays there of his presence, though he knows that they are already well aware of Mikleo’s presence.

And moments later, they emerge. Gigantic golems that both Sorey and Mikleo could swear are identical to the boulders which have been dotted around. Parts of their body are crystallised rather beautifully. But both are in agreement that this partially pleasant appearance doesn’t make them any less deadly.

“There’s too many of them for me to handle on my own,” Mikleo says, a cold sweat enveloping him as he continues stepping back.

“ _Then just run! Don’t fight if you’ll just put yourself in danger!”_ Sorey eyes the daemons’ large, yet also slow movements. _“You can easily outrun them.”_

“I … yeah, that’s probably best,” Mikleo admits, swallowing his pride. He turns around and sprints in the other direction, allowing his book to disappear; whilst he’d rather not be rendered almost defenceless, the last thing he wants is to lose it somewhere around here.

Sorey clings onto his shoulder as Mikleo runs, cape blowing behind them, as the former peers around to check for the monsters. He can hear Mikleo’s pants, and though Mikleo appears more athletic than other witches, Sorey knows that he probably doesn’t have the same amount of stamina that a mage warrior would have. This concerns him a little.

“ _I think you’re losing them,”_ Sorey says, unable to see any of the daemons directly behind them. However, when his eyes glance to the side, he can see something else among the trees. _“Wait, don’t go that way!”_

“Is there _any_ end to this?” Mikleo pants in frustration, steering himself off course. He is only running for several more moments before he is yelping and skidding to a stop. His foot scatters dirt and a few stones hidden in the grass, right off the edge of a cliff-side in front of them.

“ _Oh crap, Mikleo –”_

“Don’t tell me there’s some behind us,” Mikleo says, turning back around and visibly flinching. His heart stops when he sees that yes, there are indeed more.

“ _I’m starting to wonder if Symonne is behind this,”_ says Sorey, guilt washing over him. _“I’m sorry Mikleo, this is all my fault.”_

“This isn’t the time to be putting fault on anyone,” Mikleo responds, conjuring his book once again as he frantically flicks through the pages. “You better not let me down here, Edna …”

‘ _Edna?’_ Sorey thinks to himself, watching as the daemons get closer. But Mikleo, although clearly frightened, still seems determined in his actions. And Sorey, even after only knowing the witch for a small amount of time, can trust him. Perhaps it’s because not many would go out of their way to help a stranger like Mikleo has.

“Make sure you hold on tight, Sorey,” Mikleo says, soon holding his hand out to the side. A few words are mumbled in the Ancient Tongue, Sorey able to translate the language, although he hardly expects Mikleo to conjure what he has; a broom is now being held in his hand. Sorey only has mere seconds to contemplate this and how he has heard of the stereotype with witches riding brooms, before Mikleo has leapt off the ledge.

The seconds in the air slow down, causing their hearts to beat loudly, strangely exhilarated by the wind blasting against their faces – but before either can say anything, even scream, Mikleo has landed on a cushion which is attached to the broom, his legs hanging to one side and, perhaps most miraculous at all, his hat has reminded in place with one hand holding onto it, Mikleo’s other hand gripping tightly on the broom.

“ _Whoa!”_ Sorey exclaims in Mikleo’s mind, staring down with astonishment as Mikleo brings them up away from the cliff, the daemons unable to do anything but watch the figures fly away from them. _“I didn’t know you could do that!”_

“Neither did I,” Mikleo responds aloud. “Well, not _properly,_ anyway. I’ve only had a bit of practice with my friend, who taught me the spell. I took a lot of risk, there.”

Perhaps Mikleo only half-expects Sorey to grow mad over this; whilst the former would be furious if someone took risk like this, Sorey’s personality seems like it belongs to someone a little reckless. And this turns out to be true, when Sorey’s concern isn’t for Mikleo endangering both of them by leaping off a cliff, but rather for Mikleo himself.

“ _You should probably be more careful with that,”_ says Sorey. _“I wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself. But … but that was still awesome! Man, witches are_ great! _I didn’t think someone like you would act recklessly, either.”_

“I usually don’t. But I thought I would prefer to take a chance rather than be beaten to death by daemons, honestly.”

Sorey grins, before glancing down at Mikleo’s belt. _“Are the herbs all right?”_

“They better be, after all that just then,” Mikleo says, fumbling with the little bag with his spare hand. He sighs in relief. “Yeah, it’s all stayed there, luckily. So now we just need to head back and then I can sort out that spell for you.”

“ _Right! But you should probably rest a bit first, after that fighting just now.”_

“Mm, I suppose you’re right,” Mikleo says, noticing how he _is_ a little tired, now. Yet regardless, he and Sorey alike feel incredible, likely from the adrenaline. Not to mention that all around them now, with cool are blasting their faces, the sky is bathed in the beautiful colours of a sunset.

Mikleo slows down a little, just so that they can appreciate this view for a little longer.

 

* * *

 

In order to give Mikleo time to rest, the two wait until the following morning in order to start the ritual to temporarily transform Sorey into his former self.

The potion comes first, Mikleo carefully adding in the ingredients one by one. It’s a complicated procedure, sometimes requiring such precision that you need to stir in the exact right direction, but Mikleo does this well. Sorey thinks to himself about how the other would be great at cooking or baking.

A few more red leaves have been put into the cauldron. Mikleo stirs five times anti-clockwise and seven times clockwise, before the rest of this herb is entered. It is folded in before stirred another few times clockwise. Mikleo breathes out in relief once he has finished this.

“Just two drops of elixir, now,” he says, carefully tipping the expensive bottle. One drop changes the colour from a bright turquoise to a cobalt blue, the second deepening it to a dark sapphire. “There, it’s done.”

“ _You sure your mom isn’t going to mind you using that?”_ Sorey asks. Mikleo smiles, both with strain and awkwardness.

“My mother is dead, so probably not.”

“ _I’m sorry, I had no idea.”_

Mikleo shakes his head. “You weren’t to know. Besides, I still have my uncle anyway, although he travels a lot. Maybe we’ll have you sorted out by the time he returns.”

The thought of this brightens Sorey. _“Then let’s get to it! I need to drink this, right? Then you cast the spell.”_

“That’s right. With your size, you only need a few sips. Then we’ll take the rest with us so we can keep this up until we find Symonne.”

Sorey nods his understanding. Mikleo picks up a spoon, picking up some of the potion with it before handing it over to Sorey. Sparkles are cast off the liquid as it moves. Sorey hesitates for a moment as he holds onto the spoon, unsure of how it tastes, before he gulps it down quickly. Relief washes over him.

“ _Hey, it wasn’t that bad!”_

“Here’s one more, then I’ll start.”

The two do just that. As soon as Sorey has drank the second mouthful of potion, Mikleo has closed his eyes, resting his hands in front of him as he murmurs under his breath. His eyebrows are soon furrowing, leaving Sorey concerned, but he knows better than to interrupt now.

A flash of light erupts from Mikleo, who can feel this intensity and the wind which blows at his clothes and hair, yet he remains completely still and keeps his eyes closed. A headache has formed from the magic this requires, a slight shake in his hands, yet he does not stop his muttering.

Soon, this light from Mikleo rains down on Sorey instead, bathing him in a glow which paints the entire room in silver. It’s so bright, Mikleo flinches even with his closed eyes. Yet it fades moments later, which is when Mikleo can open his eyes, the figure in front of him entirely different.

The first thing he notices is intense green eyes – the doll form Sorey had taken was given deep black. Then everything else seems to be noticed at once. The handsome face which joins those beautiful eyes, the brunet hair which effortlessly falls into natural, casual spikes. The broad shoulders covered in gold detailing, the whiteness of his clothes, the deep red and general royal image.

And that smile. It’s a smile that Mikleo has never seen before in his life, yet is so perfect to Sorey’s voice, it still feels familiar.

Mikleo realises that he is blushing and curses himself immediately for it.

“You did it!” Sorey says, finally aloud rather than through telepathy. He is looking at his hands, down at his legs, simply taking in everything. “You really did it! Man, I almost feel completely normal, it’s amazing.”

Mikleo mumbles, “It’s – it’s nothing. Just glad to not have your voice annoying me in my head anymore.”

“Come on, give yourself some credit! I – oh God, where have my manners gone? I’ve gotten too used to not being a prince, hold on …”

With a mouth opened a little in surprise, Mikleo watches as Sorey kneels down on one knee, with one hand held against his back and his other against his chest. His smile is far too dazzling.

“I’m Prince Sorey, of the Kingdom of Hyland,” says Sorey. “Thank you for helping me.”

“Don’t bother with the thanks until we’ve actually saved you for real,” Mikleo responds, his voice stammering a little, wishing Sorey would just stand up again. However, before the prince does so, he has removed his hand from his chest to instead reach for Mikleo. The latter’s heart stops as one of his hands is taken into Sorey’s.

“No, you’ve done a lot for me already, so I should thank you. And I’ll make sure you definitely _do_ receive proper gratitude once this is all over.”

Mikleo doesn’t have the chance to think of a response before a light kiss is placed onto his head. And even if it was only brief, even if Sorey is now getting back to his feet, Mikleo is left speechless, able to feel the heat in his face rising further.

And Sorey is enjoying every moment. “So, uh, I guess we have a trip to go on then, huh?”

“Where to first?” Mikleo asks, finally finding his voice.

“To Ladylake – I should tell my family I’m okay, as well as tell them what you did. Have you ever been there?”

Mikleo shakes his head. “The furthest I’ve ever been is the forest. I’ve never been to the world below.”

“You – you haven’t?!” Sorey exclaims, as though this is the most unimaginable thing possible. “Then we should go already! There’s so much for me to show you!”

“You do realise we have to go sort out your curse properly, right?” Mikleo says, stepping forward as Sorey heads to the door, his cape falling behind him.

“Yeah, but haven’t we already had lots of fun?” Sorey asks, turning back around. “What’s wrong with making the most of it, while we go find her?”

Mikleo shakes his head, yet cannot stop himself from smiling. Amusement? Simply from being charmed by Sorey? He has no idea. All he really knows is that Sorey is right. Despite the dangers, the time with Sorey _has_ been fun, even when he had been in his cursed form. Now they get to spend time with each other with Sorey as his regular self.

“Let’s see if your family is annoying as you are,” says Mikleo, laughing as Sorey reaches over to give the other a shove, his prince’s persona completely vanished for a moment.

 

* * *

 

It’s likely Mikleo’s bad luck that makes their trip through Aroundight Forest actually rather easy. Of course this would happen once Mikleo actually has a fighting person on his side. Though when thinking about it, perhaps it isn’t actually any easier than it had been before, but rather Sorey being talented enough to make it seem as so. Sorey certainly has not exaggerated his skills.

Perhaps this is why Mikleo hadn’t been stopped when it came to him leaving. Of course he had to say something – Sorey was the one to bring it up, asking if Mikleo should tell the villagers where he is going. Of course, this lead to explaining their story and having the villagers be in complete shock over Hyland’s Prince being there in Elysia without them knowing.

With someone trustworthy to accompany him, leaving the village had definitely been simple, even if it’s a little nerve-wrecking for Mikleo to travel down to the world below for the first time.

Sorey is the one to lead them once they reach the end of the forest. Though he has never travelled as far as Elysia, he _has_ been to the foot of the mountains before. The area is very much familiar for him. He’s grateful, the most obvious reason being that the pair don’t have much time on their hands with their hunt for Symonne, but also for how it gives Mikleo chance to not worry about navigating his way through an unknown place. He has the chance to look around him in awe instead.

‘ _So he likes exploring too,’_ Sorey thinks as he watches this, smiling to himself.

It takes a couple of days to get through the forest. But soon, following a stretch of water shining in sunlight, the two emerge out into Lakehaven Heights.

“Not far, now!” Sorey exclaims, stretching his arms out either side of him. “You’ll be able to see the city in the distance before long.”

“It’s beautiful,” says Mikleo, taking in as much as he possibly can. “I’d love to explore it more, I heard there’s ruins around here …”

“You like ruins too?!” Sorey asks, the sudden exclamation and step towards Mikleo catching the latter off guard. But he soon smiles and nods.

“There’s some ruins in Elysia which I first started exploring when I was little. But I never left the village in search for more, being as witches don’t truly develop their powers until we’re older.”

“Man, I wish we had time to explore them, then. But … Oh! I better have more of your potion, before I transform back into that little thing again.”

“Oh yes, that’s right.” Mikleo removes one of the small vials from his belt, handing it over to Sorey. He gulps it down immediately.

“Right, no time to lose! Let’s get down to Ladylake!”

This area also has a few daemons roaming the lands, but Mikleo finds that they are far weaker than those which had been in Aroundight Forest. Sorey notices this surprise, explaining that daemons are smart enough to stay away from busy areas, where they are likely to get attacked by knights.

The two follow the river which flows through Lakehaven Heights. Sorey is soon gesturing for Mikleo to walk away from the path, so he can bring the other up onto a slope. Sorey points one gloved finger to the distance.

“There’s Ladylake, just up ahead!”

“Oh wow,” Mikleo says, his breath taken away by the scenery before him. The city that Sorey speaks of is right there in front of his eyes, connected to the city by a long bridge. Vast amounts of crystal-clear water surrounds both.

“Isn’t it gorgeous? I love the view from up here!”

“Yeah, it’s wonderful. What’s the city itself like?”

“You’ll just have to wait and see. Come on, down this way!”

Mikleo follows Sorey back down the slope. After some more walking, the two finally arrive at the entrance to the bridge. Two knights donned in blue are positioned there, who both startle at the sight of Sorey.

“P-Prince Sorey! You’re safe!”

“Hey guys, how are you?” says Sorey, as though he has only been out for a leisurely stroll rather than been cursed by his family’s enemies. “This here is Mikleo, he’s been helping me out. Can he be let through too?”

“Yes, of course!” one knight exclaims, bowing his head. The other next to him does the same. “Any individual who has helped our prince is more than welcome.”

“Sweet! Come on, Mikleo.”

“Uh, right,” says Mikleo, nodding his head politely before jogging to catch up to Sorey’s quick strides. He cannot help but stare at the long stretch of water which surrounds them.

“So this would be your first time going to a city, and I saw how tiny Elysia is,” says Sorey as the two cross the bridge. “Nervous?”

“Not really,” says Mikleo, doubtful he is convincing himself, never mind Sorey. The latter seems to think this too, smiling in amusement.

“Well, I’ve grown up here so I can’t _really_ relate, but I’d say it’s normal if you’ve never been somewhere like this. And I can hold your hand if it gets too nerve-wrecking.”

Mikleo rolls his eyes. “Yeah, that won’t be necessary. I’m more excited than nervous anyway.”

“Fine, fine,” Sorey says, pretending to be disappointed, before he cannot help but laugh.

And as soon as the two enter Ladylake, Mikleo’s nerves are certainly taken over by his excitement completely.

There is an immediately cheerful atmosphere which surrounds them. People’s chatter fills the air along with their laughter, the sun shines down onto the gorgeous architecture – even just taking a single step inside the city is phenomenal.

The reactions to the two entering are also immediate.

“Prince Sorey! You’re back!”

“You’re safe! What happened, Prince? Were you attacked?”

“Did you help him? You are in our debt if so!”

“I’m sorry for worrying you guys,” Sorey says, both amused and charmed by the people’s enthusiasm. “You’ll learn what happened, I promise. But for now we’ve gotta get to the palace. Mikleo?”

“R-Right,” Mikleo responds – an intrigued old lady looks as though she is about to inspect the star which hangs off the end of Mikleo’s hat, so he prefers the thought of getting away quickly. Luckily, the crowd seem respectful of Sorey’s wishes and gives him room to pass through.

“Sorry about that,” says Sorey as he passes through, gesturing for Mikleo to stay close so as not to get lost amongst the people.

“It’s fine. You can tell they truly care for you.”

“Oh yeah, for sure! That’s why I love who I am. It has a lot of responsibilities and dangers, but it has its benefits, too. Oh! You’re going to love this, look!”

“Ladylake’s waterwheel,” Mikleo says, placing his hands on the wall as he stares at the water flowing by and, as always, the incredibly architecture. There’s a civilian standing by who seems just as enthralled. “I’ve heard about it, but naturally I’ve only ever seen photographs.”

“Even better in person, huh?”

“Definitely.” After taking in its beauty for a little longer, Mikleo clears his throat and turns around. “Come on, we were heading to the palace, right?”

“Ah yeah, let’s go!”

Sorey proceeds to lead Mikleo up a set of stairs. A marketplace is situated here, with what appears to be a church located at the bottom of the pathway. Sorey, however, is heading to the right instead. Mikleo only has to look at the buildings which you can see beyond the wall to know that this is the Noble’s District.

Before they have time to head inside, the doors have opened and a blonde girl has exited, donned in a knight’s garb coloured differently to the rest.

“Oh Sorey, _there_ you are!” she exclaims. “You worried all of us!”

“Heh, sorry, Alisha,” Sorey says, scratching the back of his head. “But Mikleo here has been helping me!”

“Mikleo?” says Alisha, her eyes landing on the boy in question. They take in his appearance and clear witch’s garb.

“Yeah, he’s a witch who is going to help me track down Symonne. He gave me a potion which has made me take my usual form temporarily.”

“Oh Sorey, you shouldn’t have dragged a random person into this mess,” she says, letting out a sigh. But she smiles at Mikleo nonetheless. “Thank you for helping him, Mikleo. I am Princess Alisha, Sorey’s cousin and last in line to the throne.”

Feeling a little flustered over having no clue that this is a princess, Mikleo quickly bows his head. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, your highness.”

“Just Alisha is fine. I hope Sorey hasn’t bothered you by all this.”

“Not at all, I wanted to help,” Mikleo responds.

“So you _haven’t_ found me annoying after all,” says Sorey teasingly, Mikleo letting out a huff. Sorey laughs over this, bringing his attention back to Alisha. “I swear everything’s been fine. Plus I kind of … you know. With the whole ‘hurrying up’ thing?”

Alisha questions this for a moment, before her jade eyes grow a little wide. “O-Oh, I see! I see … I’m sure your mother would be glad to hear it. Anyway, I have business with Maltran. You should go tell the others you’re safe.”

“I will! Take care, Alisha.”

The trio enter the Nobles’ District, each going their separate ways. Mikleo, rather than continue his awed stares, is looking at Sorey with confusion.

“What was _that_ all about?” he ends up asking. An eyebrow raises as a little colour rises to Sorey’s cheeks, green eyes avoiding his for a moment as a hand rubs the back of Sorey’s neck.

“Mom’s been nagging at me to find someone I’m interested in. Eighteen-year-old prince and all that.”

“… What about it?”

The clueless response brings a smile back to Sorey. “I – Mikleo, I really am grateful for you helping a stranger like you have. You shrugged it off, out of embarrassment, maybe. But it really was kind of you. And I, well, once we’ve sorted all this out …”

“Yes?”

“Can I … take you out for dinner, or something?”

Ah. Two and two is put together, Mikleo realising that the small moments of flirting haven’t all been from nothing. He isn’t sure what to think about all this. All he knows is that butterflies have formed in his stomach and he has grown a little warm. Whatever that means.

“You do … realise I’m a witch, right? A male one?” Mikleo questions, likely to just stall time.

“Uh, what of it?”

“Is that really the kind of person a prince should be interested in?”

“At this moment I think my mom would accept literally anyone.”

“Ah. I … I see.”

“Besides, Ladylake is an accepting place. No one even thinks about that.”

“Okay …”

“Then?”

Sorey’s eyes are looking at him hopefully. His mouth is stretched out back into that annoyingly charming smile, and Mikleo can feel himself melting on the spot. And he now realises that his blush has returned for a little while now.

“Maybe take me to that museum in Marlind too,” he finds himself mumbling. Sorey blinks, before his smile grows wider. He is far, far too carefree for a prince.

Perhaps that’s what makes him so likeable.

“Consider it done! But for now, we really do have stuff to do. Come on, let’s introduce you to my mom!”

“Nothing like diving into that early,” Mikleo says as he follows Sorey, smiling as the other laughs.

Curses and incorrect rituals maybe aren’t so bad after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> I'm also doing a variety of Halloween art and actually drew something relating to the fic - be sure to follow me on social media (Twitter - SkiaWolf, Instagram - skia_wolf, Tumblr - skia-wolf) if you're interested in seeing my art as well.
> 
> Until next time! I'll be participating in my own version of nanowrimo where I just aim for 50,000 words in that month across anything I want, so I'll likely be uploading things more often in November.


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